Depression and
Mood Changes
Infection(s) can cause an autoimmune attack on the brain, resulting in inflammation and the onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms, including major depression, bipolar disorder, mood lability and sudden mood changes. 
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Mood disorders: Why antidepressants aren’t working
How infections can trigger sudden mood changes
How infections can trigger sudden mood changes
Mood disorders: Why antidepressants aren’t working

Mood disorders: Why antidepressants aren’t working

Mood disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, are typically treated with antidepressants, mood stabilizing medications and psychotherapy. Unfortunately, 1 out of every 3 people in the U.S. battling symptoms of depression find that their antidepressants aren’t working. 1 Medication and therapy seem to provide little to no relief.

Depression is characterized by a persistent feeling of sadness or loss of interest in things. Bipolar disorder, also referred to as manic depression, is characterized by sudden and dramatic changes in mood and energy levels. These mood changes can happen rapidly, leaving individuals feeling euphoric (mania) one moment, then down and out (depression) the next. 2

Antidepressants not working: it may be an immune dysfunction

Patients with these symptoms often succumb to a long process of trial and error to determine which, if any, antidepressants work for them. When patients find that their antidepressants or other medications aren’t working, they may be considered as having a “treatment resistant” illness. 1

Get treated for treatment-resistant symptoms

There are various reasons why antidepressants aren’t working for some people. Patients may be treatment resistant because of an inadequate dosage of medication, patient nonadherence, intolerable adverse effects or an incorrect diagnosis. 3

In fact, researchers believe a subset of patients with mood disorders, who may be diagnosed with a psychiatric illness, may have an infection-driven autoimmune disorder instead. Mounting evidence indicates that infections and an abnormal immune response are associated with mood disturbances and changes in personality and behavior.

Autoimmune condition mimics depression and mood disorders

Some people who exhibit symptoms that mimic depression and bipolar disorder may actually have a treatable autoimmune dysfunction, triggered, in part, by an infection(s). These individuals may be experiencing an autoimmune dysfunction, rather than a standard psychiatric illness.

Bipolar disorder usually appears between the ages of 15 and 25. It is rare in young children and older adults. Only 10% of patients develop late-onset bipolar disorder (after age 50). 4 Therefore, people who exhibit symptoms of bipolar disorder at an early or late age may want to check with their doctor on whether they may have an infection-triggered autoimmune dysfunction.

Mounting evidence indicates that immune dysfunction is associated with mood disturbances in a subset of patients. (5)

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“Targeting the immune system shows promise for improving [bipolar disorder] BD outcomes as it may allow for disease modification through treatment of the underlying etiology (i.e., immune dysfunction), rather than only superficially treating the downstream effects as symptoms arise.” 2 Patients with an autoimmune-induced mood disorder may find that their antidepressants aren’t working or that medications are making symptoms worse if the treatment is not targeting an underlying infection(s) and immune dysfunction.

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  1. Ionescu DF, Rosenbaum JF, Alpert JE. Pharmacological approaches to the challenge of treatment-resistant depression. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2015;17(2):111–126. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4518696/
  2. Benedetti F, Aggio V, Pratesi ML, Greco G, Furlan R. Neuroinflammation in Bipolar Depression. Front Psychiatry. 2020;11:71. Published 2020 Feb 26. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00071 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7054443/
  3. Tundo A, de Filippis R, Proietti L. Pharmacologic approaches to treatment resistant depression: Evidences and personal experience. World J Psychiatry. 2015;5(3):330-341. doi:10.5498/wjp.v5.i3.330 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4582308/
  4. Prabhakar D, Balon R. Late-onset bipolar disorder: a case for careful appraisal. Psychiatry (Edgmont). 2010;7(1):34–37. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2848458/
  5. Rosenblat JD, McIntyre RS. Bipolar Disorder and Immune Dysfunction: Epidemiological Findings, Proposed Pathophysiology and Clinical Implications. Brain Sci. 2017;7(11):144. Published 2017 Oct 30. doi:10.3390/brainsci7110144 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5704151/
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Why antidepressants are not working

“Immune dysfunction likely plays a role in a subset of patients with bipolar disorder.” 2

Antidepressants not working diagnosed as treatment resistant depression
Patients with an autoimmune-induced mood disorders will typically find that their antidepressants aren’t working

Learn more about how infections can trigger neuropsychiatric symptoms

Cunningham Panel helps identify an autoimmune disorder in child initially diagnosed with schizophrenia

Cunningham Panel™ helps identify an autoimmune disorder in child initially diagnosed with schizophrenia

Researchers describe a complex case involving a 15-year-old girl, who abruptly developed multiple neurologic and psychiatric symptoms.

Autoimmune diseases and severe infections as risk factors for mood disorders: a nationwide study

Autoimmune diseases and severe infections as risk factors for mood disorders: a nationwide study

This nationwide, population-based, prospective cohort study examines the link between mood disorders, infections, and autoimmune disease.

Childhood infections can increase risk of mental illness in kids

Childhood infections can increase risk of mental illness in kids

Nationwide study finds both mild and severe infections can increase risk of mental disorders in children and adolescents.

  • Test Order Process
    The Cunningham Panel™ – Antibody testing that helps determine whether an autoimmune response may be triggering neurologic and/or psychiatric symptoms. 
    PrescribersPatients

B. Robert Mozayeni, MD

Medical and Clinical Advisor

B. Robert Mozayeni MD

Dr. B. Robert Mozayeni was trained in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology at Yale and at NIH. He has had pre- and post-doctoral Fellowships in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale, and also at NIH where he was a Howard Hughes Research Scholar at LMB/DCBD/NCI and later, Senior Staff Fellow at LMMB/NHLBI/NIH. Editorial board of Infectious Diseases – Surveillance, Prevention and Treatment. Past President of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS).

He is an expert in Translational Medicine, the science and art of advancing medical science safely and efficiently. He is a Fellow of the non-profit Think Lead Innovate Foundation and is a co-founder of the Foundation for the Study of Inflammatory Diseases. He is a Founder of the Foundation for the Study of Inflammatory Diseases to crowd-source medical solutions for complex conditions using existing knowledge, diagnostic methods, and therapies to meet patient needs immediately. He is the Chief Medical Officer of Galaxy Diagnostics, LLC. He is a Board member of the Human-Kind Alliance. Dr. Mozayeni has held admitting privileges (since 1994) on the clinical staff of Suburban Hospital, a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine and an affiliate of the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center.

Safedin Sajo Beqaj, PhD, HCLD, CC (ABB)

Moleculera Labs, Clinical Laboratory Advisor
Medical Database, Inc., President and CEO

Sajo Baqaj, PhD

Dr. Sajo Beqaj is board certified in molecular pathology and genetics and licensed as a Bioanalyst and High Complexity Laboratory Director. He has been practicing as a laboratory director since 2005.

Dr. Beqaj served as a technical director and was part of the initial management team for several well-known laboratories in the clinical lab industry including PathGroup, Nashville, TN; DCL Medical Laboratories, Indianapolis, IN, and Pathology, Inc, Torrance, CA. He is currently serving as off-side CLIA laboratory director for BioCorp Clinical Laboratory, Whittier, CA and Health360 Labs, Garden Grove, CA.

Dr. Beqaj received his Ph.D. in Pathology from Wayne State University Medical School, Detroit, Michigan. He performed his post-doctoral fellowship at Abbott Laboratories from 2001-2003 and with Children’s Hospital and Northwestern University from 2003-2005.

Dr. Beqaj has taught in several academic institutions and has published numerous medical textbook chapters and journal articles. He has served as a principal investigator in clinical trials for several well-known pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies such as Roche HPV Athena, Merck HPV vaccine, BD vaginitis panel, Roche (Vantana) CINtec® Histology clinical trials, and has presented various scientific clinical abstracts and presentations.

He is a member of several medical and scientific associations including the Association of Molecular Pathology, American Association of Clinical Chemistry and the Pan Am Society for Clinical Virology. He has served on a number of clinical laboratory regulatory and scientific committees, and has assisted several laboratories and physicians as a Clinical Laboratory Consultant.

Rodney Cotton, MBA

Moleculera Labs Board Member

Rodney Cotton, MBA

Rodney Cotton, MBA is an entrepreneurial thought leader in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry who is known for his holistic perspective, bias for action in the face of challenges, and commitment to agile processes.

Rod is an independent director for Orchard Software, a private equity-backed health technology company owned by Francisco Partners; an advisory board member to Flo2 Ventures, a venture capital-backed healthcare and health equity accelerator; and a member of the board of directors and three board committees (Audit, Compliance & Finance; Governance & Equity; and Quality of Care) for Community Health Network.

He built a successful career at Roche spanning more than two decades and culminating in the role of SVP, Head of Strategy & Transformation, and Chief of Staff to the CEO for Roche Diagnostics, the North American headquarters of the world’s largest ($17B) diagnostics company.

While at Roche, Rod led key enterprise initiatives, such as milestone corporate communications, health equity coalitions, the US/Roche Group audit, and global/US acquisition integrations. With 40+ years of experience, he drove the financial turnaround and cultural transformation of four global healthcare companies, led teams of up to 280 total reports, managed P&L of more than $1 billion, and served as a key member of the senior leadership team executing the most significant restructuring of the company in two decades.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rod and his team at Roche accelerated six ground breaking products in 11 months, including the first launch of the market’s most accurate and in demand molecular diagnostic test. He also solved extraordinary challenges of product scarcity, supply chain, product allocation, and logistics to achieve accelerated global sourcing and self manufacturing in line with testing guidelines.

A frequent public speaker on health equity and other topics, Rod was named one of the Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America by Savoy Magazine and one of the Top Blacks in Healthcare by BlackDoctor.org. He also received The Sagamore of the Wabash Award, one of the highest Indiana State honors, bestowed by Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb.

Rod holds an M.B.A. from California State University, Dominguez Hills, an M.S. in Strategic Management from the University of Southern California, and a B.A. in Biological Sciences & Technology from the University of California at Santa Barbara.